To Create or Modify the Hosts File

The host name data base file, (HOSTS.NET.SYS), associates internet addresses with official host names and aliases. This allows a user to refer to a host by a symbolic name instead of an internet address.

When you have configured the name server, this file serves only as a backup when the server is not running. In this circumstance, it is a common practice that HOSTS.NET.SYS contains a few addresses of machines on the local network.

To create the hosts file, perform the following steps:

To modify an already existing HOSTS.NET.SYS file, simply use your editor to update and save the existing file.

Enter a single line for each host, including the following information:

[internet address] [local host name] [aliases]

A line cannot start with a space. Items are separated by any number of blanks and/or tab characters. A pound sign (#) indicates the beginning of a comment.

Network addresses are specified in dot format, with leading zeros omitted and a period between each grouping. (See example addresses in Figure 12-2 “Sample Hosts Configuration File”.)

Host names can contain any printable character other than a white space, newline, or comment character.

	NOTE: It is very important that you omit the leading zeros in the network addresses. If you enter the leading zeros here, the domain name resolver will interpret the numbers as octal numbers.

Figure 12-2 Sample Hosts Configuration File

	NOTE: The IP addresses and host names used in Figure 12-2 “Sample Hosts Configuration File” are for purposes of the example only.